Data collection and reporting

Each eligible State shall collect on a monthly basis, and report to the Secretary on a quarterly basis, the following disaggregated case record information on the families receiving assistance under the State program funded under this part (except for information relating to activities carried out under section 603(a)(5) of this title) or any other State program funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 609(a)(7)(B)(i) of this title): Whether a child receiving such assistance or an adult in the family is receiving— If the adults participated in, and the number of hours per week of participation in, the following activities: From a sample of closed cases, whether the family left the program, and if so, whether the family left due to— A State may comply with subparagraph (A) by submitting disaggregated case record information on a sample of families selected through the use of scientifically acceptable sampling methods approved by the Secretary. The Secretary shall provide the States with such case sampling plans and data collection procedures as the Secretary deems necessary to produce statistically valid estimates of the performance of State programs funded under this part and any other State programs funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 609(a)(7)(B)(i) of this title). The Secretary may develop and implement procedures for verifying the quality of data submitted by the States. The report required by paragraph (1) for a fiscal quarter shall include a statement of the percentage of the funds paid to the State under this part for the quarter that are used to cover administrative costs or overhead, with a separate statement of the percentage of such funds that are used to cover administrative costs or overhead incurred for programs operated with funds provided under section 603(a)(5) of this title. The report required by paragraph (1) for a fiscal quarter shall include a statement of the total amount expended by the State during the quarter on programs for needy families, with a separate statement of the total amount expended by the State during the quarter on programs operated with funds provided under section 603(a)(5) of this title. The report required by paragraph (1) for a fiscal quarter shall include the number of noncustodial parents in the State who participated in work activities (as defined in section 607(d) of this title) during the quarter, with a separate statement of the number of such parents who participated in programs operated with funds provided under section 603(a)(5) of this title. The report required by paragraph (1) for a fiscal quarter shall include the total amount expended by the State during the quarter to provide transitional services to a family that has ceased to receive assistance under this part because of employment, along with a description of such services. The report required by paragraph (1) for a fiscal quarter shall include for each month in the quarter— with respect to families and individuals participating in a program operated with funds provided under section 603(a)(5) of this title— The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to define the data elements with respect to which reports are required by this subsection, and shall consult with the Secretary of Labor in defining the data elements with respect to programs operated with funds provided under section 603(a)(5) of this title. Not later than 6 months after the end of fiscal year 1997, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall transmit to the Congress a report describing— whether the States are meeting— the objectives of— Each eligible State shall submit to the Secretary the following reports: Not later than May 31, 2011, a report for the period that begins on March 1, 2011, and ends on March 31, 2011, that contains the information specified in subparagraphs (B) and (C). Not later than August 31, 2011, a report for the period that begins on April 1, 2011, and ends on June 30, 2011, that contains with respect to the 3 months that occur during that period— With respect to each work-eligible individual in a family receiving assistance during a reporting period specified in subparagraph (A), whether the individual engages in any activities directed toward attaining self-sufficiency during a month occurring in a reporting period, and if so, the specific activities— that are of a type that would be counted toward the State participation rates under section 607 of this title but for the fact that— Detailed, disaggregated information regarding the types of, and amounts of, expenditures made by the State during a reporting period specified in subparagraph (A) using— Concurrent with the submission of each report required under paragraph (1)(A), an eligible State shall publish on an Internet website maintained by the State agency responsible for administering the State program funded under this part (or such State-maintained website as the Secretary may approve)— Subparagraph (B) of subsection (a)(1) shall apply to the reports required under paragraph (1) of this subsection in the same manner as subparagraph (B) of subsection (a)(1) applies to reports required under subparagraph (A) of subsection (a)(1). Not later than June 30, 2011, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the information submitted by eligible States for the March 2011 reporting period under paragraph (1)(A)(i). The report shall include a State-by-State summary and analysis of such information, identification of any States with missing or incomplete reports, and recommendations for such administrative or legislative changes as the Secretary determines are necessary to require eligible States to report the information on a recurring basis. Not later than September 30, 2011, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the information submitted by eligible States for the April-June 2011 reporting period under paragraph (1)(A)(ii). The report shall include a State-by-State summary and analysis of such information, identification of any States with missing or incomplete reports, and recommendations for such administrative or legislative changes as the Secretary determines are necessary to require eligible States to report the information on a recurring basis 11 So in original. Probably should be followed by a period. The requirements of chapter 5 of title 5 (commonly referred to as the “Administrative Procedure Act”) or any other law relating to rulemaking or publication in the Federal Register shall not apply to the issuance of guidance or instructions by the Secretary with respect to the implementation of this subsection to the extent the Secretary determines that compliance with any such requirement would impede the expeditious implementation of this subsection. The Secretary, in consultation with an interagency work group which shall be established by the Office of Management and Budget, and considering State and tribal perspectives, shall, by rule, designate a data exchange standard for any category of information required to be reported under this part. The data exchange standard designated under subparagraph (A) shall, to the extent practicable, be nonproprietary and interoperable. In designating data exchange standards under this section, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, incorporate— The Secretary, in consultation with an interagency work group established by the Office of Management and Budget, and considering State and tribal perspectives, shall, by rule, designate data exchange standards to govern the data reporting required under this part. The data exchange standards required by subparagraph (A) shall, to the extent practicable— In designating reporting standards under this paragraph, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, incorporate existing nonproprietary standards, such as the eXtensible Markup Language. The Secretary shall carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary may select up to 5 States to which a grant is made under section 603(a) of this title for a fiscal year to negotiate performance benchmarks for work and family outcomes for recipients of assistance under the State program funded under this part, and programs funded with qualified State expenditures. The Secretary shall issue guidance on how States apply for participation in the pilot. The benchmarks shall include— The Secretary and a State selected under paragraph (1) shall agree to the requisite level of performance on these benchmarks after developing baseline data in the State and comparative data in other States. If a State fails to meet a measured benchmark standard agreed to under paragraph (2) for 2 successive fiscal years, the State, in order to continue in the pilot shall enter into a plan with the Secretary to achieve the required level of performance or, if mutually agreed to, adjust the benchmark based on new information about the feasibility of meeting such benchmark. The pilot under this subsection shall be in effect for 6 fiscal years, with one year to establish benchmark data and negotiate targets and five years to measure performance against the targets, and shall supersede the requirements under section 607 of this title for such fiscal years, notwithstanding any other provision of law. For purposes of section 609(a)(14) of this title, a State operating a pilot must have a system for reducing the amount of assistance payable to a family if an individual refuses, without good cause (including for reasons described in 607(e)(2) 22 So in original. Probably should be preceded by “section”. of this title), to engage in any such activities as the State has required of such an individual. A State without such a system shall be considered to have failed to comply with the requirements of section 607(e) of this title for so long as the failure to comply continues. Each State selected under paragraph (1), in consultation with the Secretary, shall collect and submit to the Secretary data on the performance of the State operating such a pilot program. Not later than 12 months after June 3, 2023, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the status of the program under this section. Not later than 12 months after the date on which the programs under this section have terminated, the Secretary shall submit a comprehensive report to Congress on outcomes achieved under such programs. Each State, in consultation with the Secretary, shall collect and submit to the Secretary the information necessary for each indicator described in paragraph (2), for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter. The indicators described in this paragraph for a fiscal year are the following: In paragraph (2), the term “exit” means, with respect to a State program funded under this part, ceases to receive assistance under the program funded by this part. In order to ensure nationwide comparability of data, the Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Labor and with States, shall issue regulations governing the reporting of performance indicators under this subsection.